Review Concept Plan for Saint Katharine Drexel Addition (Remnant Developable Area); Case of Saint Katharine Drexel Catholic Church

The purpose of this case is to review potential development options for a remnant parcel owned by Saint Katharine Drexel Catholic Church that is not needed for their future campus needs. Staff is seeking high level feedback on potential Detached Single-Family and/or Townhome Development at the request of Saint Katharine Drexel. Townhomes would require a Comprehensive Plan Amendment and Zoning Amendment. Before Staff commits any amount of time to this evaluation, it is customary to check in with the Planning Commission (and potentially City Council) before utilizing Staff Time for review.

Since the townhome request would require a Comprehensive Plan Amendment (and Zoning Amendment), the City is not obligated to approve that development scenario. The intent of this case is to create a space for Saint Katharine Drexel to introduce the topic. 

Please note, for transparency purposes, Planning Commission Chair Randy Bauer is on Staff at Saint Katharine Drexel. Vice-Chair Gary VanScoy is the Chair of the Saint Katharine Drexel Building Committee. While there is no legal conflict of interest in this instance, there may be a perceived conflict of interest. Staff will walk through potential scenarios to move this review forward. No action is being requested at this meeting, just informal feedback. With that in mind, Chair Bauer and Vice-Chair VanScoy may elect to abstain from discussion from the perspective of Planning Commissioners, but represent Saint Katharine Drexel. 

The City has an interest for a portion of the property for Central Park Expansion. The attached exhibits were prepared by the City to frame the portion potentially desired by the City. The concepts illustrate the remaining area as a single-family neighborhood. This framework could be expanded to discuss Saint Katharine Drexel's request for the City to consider allow townhomes to be developed in this area. 

As this is a high-level policy review, Staff needs initial policy direction from the Planning Commission before formulating a recommendation. Nothing in this case should be interpreted to mean that the City is considering this project. We are simply reacting to a simply request to consider potential land use alternatives.